Internal combustion engine



April 29, 1941. M. MARTINKA 2,239,922

INTERNAL comausnou Enema Filed June 25, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,10 1 1 s it INVENTQR:

Michael. .MARTINKA April 29, 1941. M. MARTINKA 2,239,922

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 25, 1937 5 Sheats-Sheet 2 IN VEN TO R: Michael. MARTINKA by WW1 his Arforney April 29, 1941. M. MARTINKA v 2,239,922

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Fina-Juno as. 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.9

- 1 2 I INVENTOR= 1 I i Miahael. MARTINKA y M his A'Horney April 29, 1941. M. MARTINKA mrnmuu. comsus uou ENGINE Filed June 23, 1937 5 Shuts-Sheet 5 and cooling of the exhaust gases,

Patented'Apr. 29, "1941 NT OFFICE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Michael Martinka, Duisburg, Germany Application June 23, 1937, Serial No. 149,801 In Germany May 20, 1930 Claims. (CI. 60-45) on engine wherein the air of combustion the gases of combustion are compressed in a compressor outside the combustion chamber,

and wherein, on their way to the combustion chamber, these gases are heated by the exhaust Eases-oi the combustion chamber.

It is one object of the invention to accomplish the working of such an engine in a'sim-ple manner and with a high degree of efilciency, and sub.- jecting the inlet and exhaust valves to a small thermal strain only, and with a small clearance within the combustion cylinder. For this purpose-according to the inventionthe gases are conducted in series through several heat exchangers, viz. through a high-temperature heat exchanger arranged in the combustion chamber and filling out as completely as possible the clearance above the working piston in its upper dead center position, and through a heat exchanger of lower temperature being situated outside of the combustion chamber.

Itis a. further object of the invention to direct or control the cycle of operations in such a manner that a very high eiiiciency is obtained. as well as a large output in proportion to the quantity of A fuel used and to the size of the engine.

In the operation of the invention I prefer to compress the fresh air or gases in several stages, one part of which at least operates as nearly as possible according to an isothermal curve.

It is a further object of the present invention to adapt the heat exchangers, especially the hightemperature one, for thesaid particular purposes so as to enable it to withdraw efl'iciently the heat from the escaping gases and to supply it to the pression and expansion between the heat exchangers,

' Fig. 2 is a similar diagram-illustrating a cycle for the operation of another embodiment of a plan-t, said cycle showing simultaneous expansion Fig. 3 is a diagram of a cycle similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing only isothermal compression,

Fig. 4 shows in a somewhat diagrammatical manner a plant operating in a cycle according to Fig. 1, said plant comprising an internal combustion engine with a high-pressure cylinder and a low-pressure cylinder, a. high-temperature heat exchanger, a low-temperature heat exchanger and a compressor arranged between said two heat exchangers, some parts of the plant being shown in section,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the high-pressure cylinder and low-pressure cylinder of a different embodiment of a plant operating in a cycle according to Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of a plant opera-ting in a cycle according to Fig. 3,

Fig. 7 illustrates an embodiment of an expander and compressor for displacing the cycle into the range of a higher than atmospheric pressure,

Fig. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a plant operating in a cycle according to Fig. 2 or 3, wherein the, high-pressure cylinder and the lowpressure cylinder of the internal combustion engine are coaxially arranged,

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the high-temperature heat exchanger,

Fig. 10 is a. partial cross-section of Fig. 9,

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating the temperatures prevailing within the high-temperature heat exchanger,

Fig. 12 shows an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the internal combustion engine shown in Fig. 8, and

Fig. 13 illustrates a diagram of the relations between the movements of the pistonsand the volumes of the high-pressure cylinder and lowpressure cylinder of the plant shown in Figs. 8

and 12. In the following specification the heat exchanger arranged in the combustion chamber is called the high-temperature heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger outside the combustion chamber fresh gases are isothermally compressed from point I to point 2 outside 'the working cylinder.

From point 2 to point 3 the compressed air is heated in a low-temperature heat exchanger by the heat delivered by the exhaust gases. From point 3 to point 30. i-t is compressed adiabatlcally and from point 3a to point 4 it is further heated in a high-temperature heat exchanger, which is arranged within the combustion chamber and gives ofi the high temperature heat of the exhaust gases. From point I to point 5 the gases are heated by the internal combustion within the working cylinder under a constant pressure. From point 5 to .point 6 the gases expand adiabatically in the high-pressure cylinder and deliver their heat to the high-temperature heat exchanger from point 6 to point 1, while they are discharged from the high-premure cylinder into a receiver. Said receiver seems to'compensate the quantity of the exhaust gases delivered by the high-pressure cylinder and the quantity of gases admitted into the low-pressure cylinder. From point 1 to point To the exhaust gases having a lower temperature are expanded adiabatically in said low-pressure cylinder, and from point Ia to "point 8 coinciding with point I they deliver their heat in the low temperature exchanger. A plant operating in a cycle according to Fig. 1 will be described hereinafter in detail in connection with Fig. 4.

In the cycle according to Fig. 2, otherwise corresponding to the cycle according to Fig. 1, the solid line G t-1a shows the development .of temperature when the combustion gases pass without receiver through the high-temperature heat exchanger immediately into the low-pressure cylinder and expand there further. In this case, as explained more in detail in connection with Fig. 5, not only the receiver but also the inlet valves for the low-pressure cylinder may be omitted, thus simplifying the installation and reducing the losses of heat. Moreover, the pressure difference in the high-pressure cylinder becomes larger because the gases can partly pass immediately into the low-pressure cylinder.

On the line 611 to la of the diagram of Fig. 2 the pressure of the combustion gases is simultaneously reduced by expansion and by cooling in the high-temperature heat exchanger. In comparison to the dotted line 6-1 which corresponds to Fig. 1, the line Ber-1a creates equal areas on either side so that the area of the cycle has the same dimensions as that of the cycle according to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a. cycle, according to which from point I to point 2a the fresh gases are isothermally compressed to the maximum pressure with which they are to be burned in the high-pressure cylinder. From point 2a to 30. the gases are heated in the low-temperature heat exchanger, from 3a to la in the high-temperature heat exchanger and then from 4a to 5 in the high-pressure cylinder by internal combustion under constant pressure. The line 56a-1a'8 corresponds to the same line in Fig. 2. A plant operating in the cycle according to Fig. 3 will be described in detail hereinafter in connection with Fig. 6. V

The plant shown in Fig. 4 operates in the cycle shown in Fig. 1. The combustion air, which may have been filtered previously, passes at atmospheric pressure through the pipe I0 into the multi-stage compressor ll provided with coolers l2 and I3 arranged in the path of the air between the first and second stage and between the second and third stage, respectively. Thus, a substantially isothermal compression of the air is carried out in the compressor H, whereupon the air is led through the pipe 28 into the low-temperature heat exchanger IS, in the state corresponding to point 2 of the diagram of Fig. 1. The air is heated in the low-temperature heat exchanger l6, by the exhaust gases flowing in the opposite direction, to the temperature corresponding to point 3 of the diagram shown in Fig. 1 and passes then through the conduit 29 into the cylinder I l a of the compressor II. In said cylinder Ila the last stage of compression is carried out, and the air is adiabatically compressed to a state corresponding to point So of the diagram shown in Fig. 1. The compressed air discharged from the cylinder I la is supplied to a receiver 15 through a suitable pipe connecting the cylinder Ha with the receiver l5. After leaving the receiver IS, the compressed air. passes through the inlet valve 11 into the high-pressure cylinder l8 containing in its upper part the high-temperature heat exchanger l9 which fills out the clearance remaining above the piston 20 in its upper dead center position. Between the thin laminated sheets forming the high-temperature heat exchanger IS the compressed air passes downwards from above, parallel to the axis of the high-pressure cylinder, hereby becoming heated to the temperature of point 4 in Fig. 1, while the piston moves downward.

The hot air leaving the high-temperature heat exchanger at its lower surface will be heated further by the fuel emerging from the injecting nozzle 2| and being burned in the highly heated air, under substantially constant pressure, to the temperature prevailing at point 5 of the diagram of Fig. 1. With the piston 20 moving further downwards the adiabatic expansion takes place whereby the temperature of the combustion gases drops from point 5 to point 6. InFig. 1 illustrating the theoretical cycle, the temperature of point 4 is equal to the temperature of point 6, in practice, however, the temperature of the air at point 4 may be a few degrees lower than the temperature of the exhaust gases at point 6. 1

Now the exhaust valve 22 opens as soon as the piston 20 has reached itslower dead center position, and the now upward-moving piston discharges the burnt gases through the same channels between the laminated sheets of the hightemperature heat exchanger through which'the incoming precompressed air passed before. In the high-temperature heat exchanger these exhaust gases give ofi their heat so that they attain the temperature of point I of the diagram shown in Fig. 1. The exhaust gases pass through the exhaust valve 22 into the receiver 25 connected with the low-pressure cylinder 26. The exhaust valve 22 of the high-pressure cylinder l8 opens the passage to the low-pressure cylinder 26 before the pis-- ton 20 reaches its lower dead center position. The crank of the low-pressure cylinder 26 lags behind that of the high-pressure cylinder l8 by an angle of about .-180. The upward moving piston of the low-pressure cylinder 26 compresses the remaining gas contents of the low-pressure cylinder 26 to a pressure approximately equal to one prevailing in the high-pressure cylinder l8 when the outlet valve or exhaust valve 22 is opened. The desired amount of pressure is attained by closing the exhaust valve 21 of the low-pressure cylinder 26 sufficiently prematurely, before the piston of the low-pressure cylinder reaches its upper dead center position.

During the downward movement of the piston of the low-pressure cylinder 26, the exhaust gases are further expanded adlabatically to the point perature heat exchanger I 8.

Fig. 7 may serve that purpose.

Ia of the diagram shown in Fig. 1. Then the exhaust gases are discharged through the opened valve 21 into the low-temperature heat exchanger I where they transfer their heat to the isothermally compressed air as described above, so that their temperature is reduced to the point I of the diagram shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a direct connection between the high-pressure cylinder I8 andthe low-pressure cylinder 28 through the outlet valve 22 where. deviating from thearrangement of Fig. 4, the receiver 25 and the inlet valve of the low-pressure cylinder 25 are omitted. Said valve 22 serves at the same time as inlet valve for the low-pressure cylinder.

If the plant shown in Fig. 4 has the direct connection between the'high-pressure cylinder I8 and the low-pressure cylinder 25 as shown in Fig. 5 permitting an .immediate flow of the partly expanded combustion gases from the high-presaccording to Fig. 2 or 3, but where, deviating sure cylinder into the low-pressure cylinder, the

plant operates in the cycle illustrated in Fig. 2. The combustion gases will be discharged from the high-pressure cylinder as, soon as the valve. 22 opens, i. e. before the piston 20 has reached its lower dead center position. In this case the delivery of heat bythe gases to the high-temperature heat exchanger and their further expansion in the low-pressure cylinder 26 takes place to a considerable extent simultaneously; hence the curved form of the line Sit-Ia in the diagram of Fig. 2.' As for the rest the mode of operation corresponds to that previously described in connection with Fig. 4. i

Fig. 6 shows a plant operating in the cycle according to Fig. 3. The plant according to Fig. 6 has no compressor between the low temperature heat exchanger I 8 and the high-tem' The fresh gases are compressed isothermally in the compressor II. The receiver I5 is connected by way of a branch pipe to the pipe situated between the compressor branch piece I4 and the low-temperature heat exchanger I6, so that only the temporary differences between supply and consumption of compressed gases enter and leave the receiver. Otherwise the parts operate as previously described in connection'with Figs. 4 and 5.

In order to work entirely under ahigher than atmospheric pressure, the combustion gases, upon their emanating from the working cylinder II or the low-pressure cylinder 25, are not released into the free atmosphere but are further expanded;for generating'power. The set or group of machines for instance. as shown in The dash and dot lines diagrammatically indicate a connection of said set with the plant according to Fig. 6. In this arrangement the combustion gases are completely expanded in the turbine I5I into which they enter coming either from the branch pipe 23 as shown in the drawings or from the low-pressure cylinder 26. The energy generated hereby drives the turbo-compressor I52 which sucks fresh air or gases through the branch piece I53 and conveys them in precompressed'state to the branch piece III of the piston compressor II.

A set of machines according to Fig. 7 may be provided before,'or behind respectively, of any installations shown and described in the speciatmospheric pressure.

Fig. 8 illustrates a plant operating in the cycle from the arrangement according to Figs. 4-6, the high-pressure and the low-pressure cylinders are coaxially arranged one above the other. Fig. 12 shows the upper portion of the device according to Fig. 8 in an enlarged scale. As is usual with such engines having countermoving pistons, the high-pressure piston 20 isconnected to the crank shaft I by way of the piston .rod I54 and the connecting rod I55. In deviation from the normal the connecting rod I55 is particularly small in proportion to the crank arm I55. While a proportion of 5:1 is usual, a ratio of about 2: 1 has been chosen in the present case. The low-pressure piston 3| is connected with the transverse rod 82 by means of the rods 83 and it transmits its reciprocating movement to the cranks I58, I59" by way of the piston rods I51, I51 and connecting rods I58, I58. The pistons of the compressors I I and Ila are likewise driven directly by the transverse rod 82.- The operation of the plant according to Fig. 8 is as follows:

The fresh air enters through the air inlet branch piece I0 into the three-stage compressor -II which is provided with the inter-coolers I2 and I3. Then the compressed'air is conducted through pipe 28 to the low-temperature heat exchanger I6 which it leaves again in heated state and is further compressed adiabatically in the compressor cylinder I la. The now fully compressed air leaves the compressor IIa through the branch piece I4 and is led to the inlet I" the pipe I12 (Figs. 8 and 12). Then the compressed air passes the ring-shaped inlet valve I'I (Fig. 12) and, through the high-temperature heat exchanger I9, into the high-pressure cylinder III, while the high-pressure piston 20 performs the first part of its downward stroke. During the downward stroke of the piston 20 the fuel, being supplied through pipe ll, enters,

into the cylinder I8 through the injection noz zle 2I. While the piston 20 is thus gliding downwards, the low-pressure ring piston 3| has not quite reached yet its lower dead center position,

but leaves a sufliciently wide space between it and the heat exchanger I9 for "the distribution of the air which passes through the inlet valve I1 and must be distributed abovethe heat exchanger I9 across the entire area of the same. Only towards the end of the filling-and combustion period the piston bottom of the low-pressure piston 3i approaches the surface of the heat exchanger I8; consequently, the clearance above the heat exchanger has a very slight volume only.

Inasmuch as, on account of the small length of the connecting rods I55 and I58 in proportion to the cranks I56 and I59, the low-pressure ring piston 3| has a very slow motion in the vicinity of its lower dead center position, piston 20 vice versa moves very rapidly in the vicinity 'of its upper dead center position, the effect of the cold part of the high-temperature heat exchanger acting as clearance, otherwise most detrimental,

will be very small during the majorpart of the flcation, so that each of the cycles may be .operated within the sphere of higher than expansion in the high-pressure cylinder. This is even promoted by the fact that the stroke'of the low-pressure ring piston II lags somewhat behind that of the highpressure piston 20. The diagram of Fig. 13 illustrates said movements of the pistons and the volumes of the cylinders during a complete rotation of the shaft. As soon as the high-pressure piston has completed a considerable part of its stroke the low-pressure piston 3| too begins to travel upward with increasing velocity, while the motion of the highpressure piston slows down more and more. Consequently, the combustion gases expand further while a portion of them pass through the high-temperature heat exchanger I9 to the lowrapidly, a little earlier, the exhaust valves 22 open so that, during the subsequent reduction of the sum of the cylinder volumes, the combus-.

tion-gases are'displaced into the low-temperature heat exchanger I6. The exhaust valves 22 are kept open until the high-pressure piston 20 is at such a distance from the upper dead center position that the remaining part of the stroke up to the upper dead center position is suiiicient for again compressing the remainder of the cylinder volume to the starting pressure, whereupon the operation begins anew from the upper dead center position of piston 20. The combustion gases discharged by the working cylinders pass the heat exchanger I6 and leave it through the branch piece 23 and reach the open air, just as in the case of the engines according to Figs. 5 and 6. The above mentioned relations between the movements of the pistons and the volumes of the highand low-pressure cylinders are clearly indicated in the diagram of Fig. 13.

Fig. 9 shows a top plan view of the high-temperature heat exchanger. It consists of a frame at whose inner ring 16 spokes 'II, curved in the form of involutes, are attached, and of an outer ring I8. To this ring I6 there is attached an inner row of laminated metal sheets I9 and an outer row of similar metal sheets 86, likewise curved in the form of involutes and held between changers, l. e. towards that side which is turned away from the combustion chamber. A channel of that kind is shown in the ring I6 as example, bearing reference mark 82.

Fig. 10 shows a transverse section through a spoke'll possessing a hollow channel I62 which opens by means of holes towards the cooler part of the high-temperature heat exchanger.

The channels have the effect that, while the exhaust gases are being discharged, the low pressure prevailing at that time will also appear in them. As soon as the exhaust valve is then closed and the fresh gases begin to enter having a comparatively low temperature but a high pressure, the channels are filled by these gases, whereas the pressure in them increases to that of the entering gases. At the same time the gases entering the channels withdraw heat from the metal walls. Now, as soon as the pressure in the combustion cylinder decreases during the expansion, and especially during the discharge, the air leaves the narrow channels by expanding adiabatically. By this adiabatic expansion of the air remaining in the channels the gases are considerably cooled and consequently the same applies to the metal parts in contact with the gases. This cooling may be supplemented at the ring 16 by suitable means (not shown).

In those cases where the high-temperature heat exchanger is passed by exhaust gases which subsequently deliver further heat by expansion or in the low-temperature heat exchanger, while j the infiowing air or gases are heated successively for the sheet metal. This will be understood more clearly, when the diagram of Fig. 11 is now described. I

e rings 16 and I8 and the spokes 11. The metal sheets 19 are held in the frame in that the outside of the ring 16 and the inner side of the ring I6 have projecting rims I60 and I6I. Into these the ends of the sheets 19 may be inserted at any place through narrow slots arranged in said rims. For example, I63 and I64 indicate such slots. These narrow slots are suitably cut in by sawing and may be closed by welding after insertion of the sheets. Quite similarly, also the sheets 80 whichare likewise curved in the form of involutes and are held by dovetails at the outer rim of the ring I8, may be inserted into the dovetailed groove through a slot provided at any point of the circumi'erence. ...The distance oi. the metal sheets from one another being very small (e. g.: 0.1 mm=} is secured by intermediate layers or liners of the same slight thickness in a similar manner as it is practised with the blades of a steam turbine wheel. At the outer ends of the sheets 80 a ring may be provided which is welded together after being put around. For. the sake of clearness, the sheets or blades I9 and 80 are shown only. in a part of the high-temperature heat exchanger, but it is well understood, that said blades extend entirely around the high-temperature heat exchanger.

For the cooling of the frame, channels are provided in the various parts which open towards the cooler part of the high-temperature heat exv i .1 e t.

In this diagram (Fig. 11) the temperatures are the ordinates and the length L of the metal sheets in the direction of the gas current the abscissa. Between the sheets the heated combustion gases coming from the combustion cylinder pass along in the direction of the simple ar-- row (from right to left) whereas the gases to be heated flow in the direction of the multi-feathered arrow (from left to right). The line a shows the distribution of temperature within the sheets. The line b shows the mean temperature of the exhaust gases decreasing from right to left, and the line 0 shows the mean temperature of the fresh gases increasing from left to right. The

conductivity for heat of the metal of the sheets causes the more uniform distribution of temperature, to be gathered from line a, where the edges of the sheets, first hit by the discharged hot exhaust gases, cannot be endangered by them. It is, therefore, important that the sheets are not subdivided in the direction of the gas current. and that they consist of a material possessing a good conductivity for heat, allowing operating with high temperatures in the heat exchanger without destroying the material of the sheets. The possibility of applying high temperatures allows also to obtain small dimensions of the high-temperature heat exchanger and, consequently, a small clearance. v

Between the inlet valves and the high-cemperature heat exchanger a certain distance is provided in order to distribute the infiowing gases uniformly across the surface of the heat exchanger. This distance by which the high-temperature heat exchanger is to be displaced from the. cylinder cover may be kept smaller if several inlet valves are employed. For the same reason I prefer employing several exhaust valves too.

What I claim is: 1. Internal combustion engine and installations comprising a multi-stage compressor, having intercoolers, a working cylinder in which the gases are heated by internal combustion and are expanded, an internal heat exchanger based on the principle of regeneration, arranged in the interior of said working cylinder, filling up the clearance above the piston bottom in the upper dead center position of the piston and external heat exchangers outside of the cylinder pipes conducting the fresh gases from the lower stage of the compressor to said external heat exchanger and other pipes reconducting the fresh gases heated in said external heat exchanger to upper stages of the compressor, and pipes conducting the fresh gases from the last stage of the compressor to the inlet valve of the combustion cylinder and through the regenerator, further pipes conducting the exhaust gases to the external heat exchanger after said exhaust gases have passed the regenerator.

2. Internal combustion engine and installation comprising a multi-stage compressor having intercoolers, a high-pressure working cylinder wherein the gases are heated by internal combustion and are partly expanded, an internal heat exchanger based on the principle of re-- generation, said internal heat exchanger being arranged in the interior of said working cylinder to fill out the clearance above the piston in the upper dead center position thereof, an external heat exchanger outside said working cylinder, pipes conducting the fresh gases from the compressor through the external heat exchanger, inlet valves leading to the working cylinder and through the regenerator, and exhaust pipes conducting the exhaust gases to the external heat exchanger after said exhaust gases have passed the regenerator, said exhaust pipes leading from said high-pressure working cylinder directly to a low-pressure cylinder for further expansion of the exhaust gases, without intermediate receiver and inlet valves in said low-pressure cylinder, andvleading from said low-pressure cylinder to the external heat exchanger, and the crank of said low-pressure cylinder lagging behind the crank of said high-pressure cylinder by an angle of more than 119 andless than 181.-

3. A plant comprising; an internal tco mbustion en ine having a high-pressure cylinder and a low-pressure cylinder, a multi-stage compressor provided with intercoolers and adapted to be driven by said internal combustion engine for the production of compressed air to be introduced into the combustion chamber of the high-pressure cylinder of said internal combustion engine, a high-temperature-heat-exchanger provided with channels, said high-temperature-heatper dead center position thereof, a low-temperature-heat-exchanger arranged outside said cylin:

der, a conveying system for leading the precompressed air from the compressor into the combustion chamber of the cylinder, said low-temperature-heat-exchanger and said channels of the high-temperature-heat-exchanger being arranged in series in said conveying system, the low-temperature' heat-exchanger being the first one in said series, conveying means connecting said high-pressure cylinder with saidJlow-pressure cylinder to lead the exhaust gases discharged through said channels of said high-temperatureheat-exchanger into said low-pressure cylinder for further expansion therein without internal combustion, and a line connecting said low-pressure cylinder '..lth said low-temperature-heatexchanger for the introduction of said exhaust gases into said low-temperature-heat-exchanger.

4. A plant comprising: an internal combus- --tion engine, said internal combustion engine, said internal combustion engine having a high-pressure .cylinder and a low-pressure cylinder, a multi-stage compressor provided with intercoolers and adapted to be driven by said internal combustion engine for the production of compressed air to be introduced into the high-pressure cylinder of said internal combustion engine, a high-temperature-heat-exchanger provided with channels. said high-temperature-heate exchanger being arranged inside said high-pressure cylinder to fill out the clearance above the piston in the upper dead center position thereof, a low-temperature-heat-exchanger arranged outside said high-pressure cylinder, a pipe connecting said multi-stage compressor with said lowtemperature-heat-exchanger to introduce the compressed air into said low-temperature-heatexchanger for the first stage regeneration of the air, in same, a line connecting said low-temperature-heat-exchanger with said high-pressure cylinder to lead the compressed air into the' changer with said power-generating engine for conducting the exhaust gases into said powergenerating engine for beingexpanded therein to atmospheric pressure.

MICHAEL MARTmKA. 

